Miscellanea

173

iligallanea*

Absteact of a

Memoir

on

the Metalliferous

(Golk) Deposits OF Brazil.

Br

William Jory Henwood,

F.R.S., F.G.S., &c. &c.

&c

*

\Edinhurgli

New

Philosophical Journal, January 1851.]

The

gold-bearing strata consist of granitetalcoseandclayslates,

anda granular rockof quartz and talc,locally calledltacolumite,f inwhichthe latterissometimes replaced byoxide ofiron.

These

are followedbythe Jacotinga,X the principal auriferous rock,

which

isforthemostpart

composed

ofspecular iron-oreandoxide of

man-ganese, but sometimescontainstalc,mica,andquartzalso.

A

rock very closelyresembling that beneath the Jacotinga,but generally ratherlessquartzose,succeeds: andthisis overlaidin

many

places

bycalcareous strata.

No

organic remains haveyetbeen found in anyof these formations.

The

goldis eitherdisseminatedthrough therock, and inthe shortunconnectedstrings

and

masses in

and

formingintegralparts of the strata

—

in

much

the

same manner

as tinoreoccursat Carclaze, andinthe small veinsatBalleswidden,

Beam,

St.Agnes, and

Drake

Walls; or disposed inveins or

vein-likemassesasitisatCandonga,

Morro

Velho,

Gongo

Soco, Cocaes, and Bananal,

—

or again, in a rounded, sandy, or gravelly state,

mixed

with other detrital matter, in

which

case, as inthatofour stream-tin,the qualityisfarsuperior tothatof themetal obtained from mines,

A

fourth

mode

of occurrence owes its origin to the workings ontheotherthree, foritconsistsof thefinerandlighter particleswhichescapeduringthe extractionandcleaning of the gold obtained from thestrataandveins, and

which

are oftencarriedby theriversseveral milesbeforetheysubside. Thisisobtainedfrom thepresentbedsof rivers; andafterheavyfloods,itisalsocollected

fromthe grassand brush-wood

which

clothe theirbanks; butitis

wrought onlybythevery poorest classes,and seldom yields

them

more

than a veryfew pencea daj^

A

rich sample of gold taken fromthe crop of aduckwhichfedinoneofthose streams

was

exhi-bited,andthis, thoughveryrare, isnotasoleinstanceof the kind.

The

writeronce

saw

thesandand earth scraped

by

children from

* Read beforethe RoyalGeological SocietyofCornwall, 27lh Septetnberi

1850.

f FromthemountainItacolumy, nearOuroPreto,whichiscompostd ofit. \ From its resemblance in colour to the plumage of awell-known

1

74

Miscellanea.

betweenthe paving-stones in the streetof Itabira forsakeof the gold they contained.

The

mine

of

Gongo

Soco,

worked

in the Jacotinga formation

by an

EngHsh

association, afforded its riclies

so near the surface, that the extraction of gold

was begun

onthe thirdday ofitsprosecution,anditcontinuestobe wrought, though

on

avery reducedscale, tothe presenttime. In the

month

of Sep-tember 1829,therewere 759lbs. ofgold obtained, of

which

296lbs.

(ornearly£12,000 worth) were extractedintwo days; and during

twenty-fouryears,

more

than33,000lbs.weight, worth about one millionanda quartersterling, havebeen takenout, and yieldeda veryconsiderable profit.—I'he

mine

of

Morro

Velho, also carried on

by

an English company, at present yields auriferous pyrites only; but though it contains onlyabout halfan ounceof gold in

the ton ofore, it isnevertheless soextensivelywroughtthatitgives from 200to250lbs. ofgold amonth,

and

hasforseveral years past

lefta largeprofittothe adventurers.

The

proportionof goldextractedfromthestrata

he

estimatesat two-fifthsof the whole.

The

proportion ofgoldextractedfromtheveins

he

estimates at one-half of the whole.

_

The

proportion of gold extracted from stream-works and bedsof

riversheestimatesatone-tenth of the whole.

The

firstdiscovery of gold

known

tothePortugueseauthorities

was

in1695;and fromthattimetotheeudoflastyear,thewriter calculates

by

theaidof Eschwege'sAvork onBrazil,'and

by

assistanceof the

Government

officers,thatsixty-threemillionssterlingworthofgold

had

beenextractedfromthe Brazilian gold workings.

To

iheend of1846 (the latest returns he

had

access to), the Russian gold washings

had

yielded about twenty miUions; and Sir Roderick

Impey

Murchison considers the returns from California as one millionanda half per

annum.

The

latest Russianaccounts

show

a produceof

more

thanthree millions annually,andthey,aswellas theCaliforaian, are still on theincrease.

The

value of Brazilian workings seems neverto have

much

exceeded onemillionayear-,

and

ithasforalongtimebeen onthe decline; the presentproduce

iscalculated

by

the bestauthorities at about 6000 or 7000lbs. of gold perannum, worth from £220,000to£270,000; of

which

about

one-halfisextractedfrom mines

worked by

IBritish skillandcapital.

_

The

gold ofCandonga, Gongo, and Bananalisalloyedwith

palla-dium, aswellaswith

some

silver, andalittleplatina; atFazendao it is

mixed

with native copper, and this is probablythe case in several other mines; at

Morro

Sao Vicente, large quantities of tellurium are

mixed

withthe gold; and the sulphuret ofbismuth

was

occasionallyfoundatCatta Branca. Crystalhzed goldisrare, butthelittlewhichoccursischieflyobtainedfromthepresentbeds ofrivers; whence,likeour

own

crystalline minerals,itisdoubtless derivedfromthe shallower portions of the veins orstrata. Iron ore of therichestdescription occurs ininexhaustibleabundance; and

the onlycircumstance

which

caninterferewiththatmetalbecoming hereafter thestapleofBrazil, is the indiscriminate destruction of the forests,andthe absence of coal.

Miscellanea.

ITS

Helmreichen,thatwide graniticcross-veins traversedthe gold vein at Candonga.

—

With

the assistance of Eschvvege'sStatistical Ac-counts,heestimatesthe

number

oflabourersemployedinextracting goldatabout 13,000, of

whom

perhaps 10,000are slaves, andthe remainder freemen; and,comparingtheir

numbers

withtheproduce

oftheirlabour before mentioned,itappearsthateach personcollects on an average only abouttwentypoundssterlingworthof goldin theyear. Sosmall a returnmust longsincehaveledtothe

aban-donment

of thispursuitwereitnotforthe extremelycheap

manner

inwhichthe natives and theirslaves are supported;

—

and_{for the}

stimulus afforded

by

the

immense

prizesevenyetfound

by

the

more

fortunateminers. Still,withevery possible allowance, it appears that capital

may

be invested in our

own

mines withfargreater chancesof successthanareoffered

by

the Braziliangoldworkings.

About

2000slaves areemployed in the Anglo-Brazilianmines;

of

whom,

perhaps, 1200 are the propertyof thecompanies; the remainderarehiredfromnative slave-owners; theyareallwellfed,

clothed,andhoused. Butnotwithstanding ourlawsprohibit British subjects from purchasing negroes, it is deeplytobe lamentedthat theyare silent

on

the subject of hiring; acircumstancestilltaken

dmple advantage of by too

many

of our countrymen,

who

thus supplythemselveswithslavelabour, and thereby give the African slaver countenance and encouragement; whilst they as directly contributetotheprofitof hisabominabletrafficasifthey

had

been actuallybuyers.

A

short experience will satisfyanunprejudiced observerthatthe emancipationoftheslaveswithout previous trainingin self-control, andinthe artsanddutiesofcivilizedlife, is rather inflicting mis-chief

by

setting atlargea savage

who

willreturntobarbarism,than conferring abenefit or raising a fellow-creature in the scale of humanity.

The

author,soonafterhis arrival, established a place of secure deposit for those blacks

who

wished toeconomizetheir earnings; foundedasystemofrewardsamongst

them

forthefinest

poultryandpigs;

—

forthemostneatlykeptgardens;

—

the cleanest

houses, andforthe best generalconduct;

—

opened_{a schoolforthe}

negrochildren,and addedto the

number

he foundalready learning handicrafts.

—

A

strongspiritofemulation

was

soonexcitedamongst

them

; and subsequentobservation

showed

that

many

oftheslaves

might withequalsafetyand advantage be entrusted withabsolute freedom. Several adults were therefore emancipated; and the excellence oftheirsubsequentconduct gavegratifyingproofthatthe careandculturebestowed on

them had

notbeenin vain.

A

similar

boon was

alsoconferredon

many

childrenof parents,who, though themselves stillslaves, gaveevidence thattheiroffspringwould be brought

up

inhabitsoforder, sobriety, and industry.

—

Where

the dominantracecountslessthanone-fourthofthe

number

ofits

cap-tives, a social revolution cannot be fardistant; and

we

hopethe

176

Miscellanea.

treatmentatpresent than they received

when

their losscouldbe suppliedfromthe marketatthelowrate

which

anciently prevailed; a fact acknowledged

by

every native slave-owner. This scarcity, greater value, and increased comfort are all the results of our blockade; andthus the blessing of British humanity is daily felt

by

the captivein theremotest corner ofBrazil.

[This paper

was

of very great length, and contained

numerous

descriptions ofmines andscenery; it

was

illustratedby anextensive

and

beautifulsuiteof gold specimens onthetable.]

On

the Mineeals

of

the

Auriferous

Districts of

Wicklow.

By

William Mallett,

Esq.

\_Edinhurgh

New

Philosophical Journal, January 1851.]

The

circumstances attending the original discovery of native goldinthebeds of

some

of the streams'in thecountyof

Wicklow

have beenalready often detailed, and will, therefore, need but a briefrepetition.

The

source of the auriferous streamsisthe

moun-tain

Croghan

Kinshela,

whose summit

formsa portion ofthe bound-ary between the counties of

Wicklow

and Wexford.

The

stream from

which

mostofthe goldhas beenobtained risesonthe north-east sideofthismountain, and thenflowing

down

oneof the glens with

which

thatpartof the country isintersectedinalmost every direction, joins the

Aughrim

River,aHttle abovethe confluence of the latterstream with theAvonmore. Itreceives severalsmaller streamsatdiff'erentparts of its course, in all of

which

some gold appears tohave beenfound, thoughingeneralinsuchsmall

quan-tityasnottorepaythecostofits extraction.

Althoughthis part of the country, sinceithasbeen

known

tobe auriferous, has been anobject of

some

attraction tomineralogists, butlittle attentionseemstohave beendirected totheotherminerals

which

are tobefoundaccompanyingthegoldinthealluvial deposits. These, however, are interesting, not onlyfrom their

number

and variety,butalsofromthe occurrenceamongst

them

of

some

of the rarer species,which donot appeartohave beennoticedinanyother locality in Ireland.

The

following mineralswere obtained from a considerablemassofsandandgraveltakenfromvarious parts ofthe bed of the principal stream

:—

Gold, platina, tinstone, magnetic oxide of iron, micaceousiron,red iron ochre,hydrousperoxide of iron,

common

clay ironstone,ironpyrites, titanife'rousiron,wolfram, oxide ofmanganese, copper pyrites, galena,sulphuret of molybde-nurn, sapphire,topaz, zircon,garnet (twovarieties), quartz, prase, augite, chlorite, felspar,mica.

The

author has since observed, in additionto thosehere

men-tioned,arsenicaliron, in small fragments, andalso spinelle.

The

Miscellanea,

177

Gold.

—

This mineral occurs here in probablyits mostbeautiful form. Itpossesses thetruegoldenyellow colourandmetalliclustre whichcharacterize the metal, and,

owing

totheattrition to

which

it has been subjected, generally presents a beautifully brilliant surface. Itoccursingrains of all sizes, fromthe smallest spangle

up

toamass weighing 22ounces, the largesthitherto found.

The

specificgravity of

some

small grains Mr. Malletfoundtobe 16"342.

The

analysis of these grainsgave

—

Gold

9232

Silver

617

Iron *78

99-27 Thisisequivalent (neglecting theiron) toSJ atomsof goldand Iof silver.

Platina.

—

Mixed

with the gold are

some

very small flattened grains of awhite colourandmetalliclustre, which, as far as their minute size permitted an examination, appear to present all the characters ofplatina.

They

are infusiblebefore the blowpipe, and insoluble in nitric acid, but dissolve in aquaregia. Their occur-rence,intermixed withthe gold

when

allother minerals have been

washed

off,isaproofof theirhigh specific gravity.*

Tinstone.

—

The

occurrence ofthismineralinthesandismentioned

by

Weaver

in hisreportsonthe gold-stream works, buthedoesnot

seem

tohavebeenatall aware of the largequantities in

which

it

exists.

From

the comparatively small portionf ofsand

which

the-author

had

an opportunity of examining, he obtained about 3^ poundsofstream tin; a portion of

which

beingreduced, yielded

an

ingot,which,

when

refinedbyasecondfusion, ishardlyinferior to the finestgraintin.% Should this mineral be found in the

mass

of thesandina quantityatallapproachingthatin

which

itexisted inthe specimen from

which

this

was

obtained, itwould probably

richlyrepaythe labourand expense of itscollectionandsmelting.

From

the small quantity in

which

other minerals of high specific gravityexistinthe sand, and the constant supplyof water,very

littledifficultywould beexperiencedinseparating itfrom therest of thesand: andthealmosttotalabsenceof arsenicandleadwould

renderitextremelyeasyto obtain from it metallictin of thevery

first qtiality.

The

mineral itselfoccurs ingrainsvarying in size fromfinesand

up

topebbles ofhalfan inchindiameter,andinthe mostpartof adark

brown

colour, with

some

fragmentsof various tintsof yellowandred;

some

presenting the peculiar appearance

towhichthe

name

"

wood

tin" has beengiven. All thesevarieties aresHghtly translucent,

some

of

them

highly so.

Many

of

them

* Itistobe wishedthatthe existenceofplatinahad been morefully ascer-tained

—

Ed.PhilMag.

f Theexactweight ofthespecimen examined the author does notknow, buttliinksitcertainlydidnot exceed 150lbs.

\ Thespecimen smelted in this experiment yielded about 61percent, of tin; butmore would be obtained on thegreatscale, as inthiscaseno

pains were takento extractthetinremainingin thescoriaa.

1

78

Miscellanea,

presentdistincttracesof the obtuse octohedron, the

same

with a short four-sided prism interposed betweenthetwo pyramids, and thelatterof thesewithvarious truncationsofitsanglesandedges.

The

specificgravity of

some

picked crystals

was

6'753.

A

careful analysisofthis tin-stonegaveasitsconstituents

—

Peroxideoftin 95-26

Peroxideof iron

241

Silica -84

98-51

The

greater

number

of the minerals here enumerated are

men-tioned

by

Mr.

Weaver

in his reportsto

Government

onthedistrict,

and which

are tobe foundin theTransactions of the Royal Dublin Society; but

some

of them, the author believes, have not been

noticedbefore, at least

he

has seen no published account of the occurrence in this locality of platina, titanic iron, sulphuret of

molybdenum,

topaz, zircon,the smallmagnesiangarnets,or augite.

Hence

it

seemed

interesting,whilenoticing these, to collectintoa uniform and, as far as possible, complete list, all tlie scattered noticesof themineral wealthof this particular district,which are tobe found in

Mr.

Weaver's papers already referred to, and else-where.

The

principalpoint, however, withrespecttotheexaminationof these minerals,

which

appearsto merit furtherand

more

particular attention,isthefactof the existence of tin-stoneinsuch consider-able quantityinthese auriferous streams: afactwhich would

seem

to indicate the probable existence

somewhere

in the surrounding districtof massesof the oreof this valuablemetalofgreatextent,

and

possiblyformingthe continuation, onthis sideoftheChannel, ofthosevastdeposits

which

havecontributedtofurnishoccupation and support to the inhabitants of Cornwall for

more

than two thousandyears*

New

Theoet

or

Polab

Lights.

By

J. A.

Broun,

Esq.

Maiean,

and,

more

lately, Dalton, haveexplainedthisphaseof the aurora

by

a hypothesis of polarbeams,longfieryrods ofsolar atmosphere,according to theone, of red-hot ferruginousparticles, accordingtotheother,seeninperspective, astheylieinthedirection of the magneticforce.

A

littleacquaintancewiththe

phenomenon

—

therushingandtiltingof the

beams

againsteachother, one

beam

occasionallyrisingfrom the horizon, passingthroughthe centre of the crown and beyond

it—

would

show

the improbability ofthis

Miscellanea,

1T9

hypothesis. I

am

persuaded, that the

phenomenon

of the corona boreahsis produced ina narrowhorizontal stratum ofthe earth's atmosphere.

Thanks

to the discoveriesof Dr. Faraday,

we

donot require a ferruginous sea in ordertohave polarizedparticles; the

waterycrystals that inhabit the upperregions of the atmosphere can themselves assumea polar state,determined

by

the passage of electric currents; and

we

have only to complete this fact by a

hypothesis of luminous electric discharges seen refracted

by

these crystals, the position ofvisibilityofthe refracted raysdepending on the angles of thecrystals, andthedeflectionsfromthedirectionof themagneticforce

which

theysuifer,

by

theelectric currents.

Such

an

hypothesis,

which

occurs atonce

when

anoptical

phenomenon

has to be accounted for, would explain theseremarkableauroral clouds, sooften seeninconnectionwith theauroraitself; it

would

alsoservetoexplain theappearanceof thearchatcertain altitudes, lowerforloweraltitudes, determinedbythe position of the source oflight, directionofthemagnetic force attheplace, andtheeffect of the electric current in deflecting the crystals.

The

crystals successivelydeflected

by

electric currents

would

also exhibit the rushingpencilsorbeams.

It need scarcely be remarked, that differently-formed crystals mightgiverise to differentphasesofthe

phenomenon

; while

reflec-tion might be combined withrefractionin certain cases, especially inthe case ofarchesseensouthoftheanti-dip.

Such

anhypothesis evidentlyassumes a source of light, independent of these optical resultants, and the pulsations seen in

many

auroree

may

be real luminosities.

Itishazardous, inthe present ill-arrangedstate of auroral obser-vation, to offer sorudea sketch of a

new

hypothesis, although

we

may

suffera considerable defeatinvery

good

company.

—

Edinh.

New

Phil.Journal^January1851.

Resources

of Russia,

The

metallicproduceoftheRussianempirein1848was,according totheofficialreturns, as follows, viz:

—

1826poods of gold

; \ pood

of platinum: 1192 poodsof silver; 254,569poodsof copper; and

8,513,673 poods of wrought iron.

The

pood is equivalent to a

little

more

than 36lbs.avoirdupois.

The

gold fromRussia,

there-fore, represents a value of £3,944,832,

making

allowancefor the Englishalloy.

—

180

Miscellanea.

On

the Reprobuction of Limbs after Amputation in

the

Human

Subject.

By

Dr. Simpson.

Dr. Simpson showed

thatthepowerofreproducing andrepairing lost parts was greatest in the lowest classes of animals, and de-creasedas

we

ascended higher and higherinthescale ofanimallife.

He

thenpointed out that the

human

embryo

approachedinthis, as in other respects, the physiological life and powersof the lower animals; and, consequently,

when

the

arm

or leg

was

amputated

during embryonic existence, as not unfrequently

happened

from bands of coagulablelymph, andthe results of disease, the

stump

structuresreproduceda smallrudimentary

hand

or foot

—

asthe crab or lizard does.

He

showed

various castsand drawingsof cases of handsthusreproduced; and twolivingexampleswere exhibited.

—

Proceed.Brit. Association, 6thAugust 1850.

On

the Geographical

Distribution of

Health

and

Disease as INDICATEED BY

NATURAL PHENOMENA.

By

Mr.

A. KeITII Johnston.

Since the time of Hippocrates a belief has existed, that the developmentof themoralandphysicalfacultiesof

man

isdependent, not on original organization only, butalsoon theatmosphere

by

Avhichheissurrounded, and thenature of the soilon

which

he is

reared; and

modern

researches in physical geography, combined with statistical investigations in medical science, have confirmed thisopinion.

Sweden

furnished thefirsttablesof mortality; since

then England, France, Prussia, and theUnitedStatesof America have eachcontributedsystematicstatisticalreturns;andthus a vast

mass

of materialhasbeen accumulated, fromwhichvaluable con-clusions

may

bededuced, especiallysinceitis

known

that,during a similarseriesof years, the

same

diseasesreappear with the

most

astonishing regularity,bothas to periodicityand extent, and with referencetomoralaswellasphysicalcauses.

The

charts exhibited

showed

thatendemicfever,including remit-tentand intermittent fever, prevails in

North

America, the

West

India Islands, the west coast ofAfrica, Syria, South Italy, the IonianIslands, andingeneralinthelow

marshy

districtsof

warm

Miscellanea.

181

Dropsyismostprevalentin

West

Africa, GreatBritain,and Guiana.

Among

the different countries the most striking contrasts are sometimesexhibited: thus, thewestof AfricaistoEuropeans the

mostfatal; while the south-eastisthe mosthealthy countryinthe

globe.

Although

many

causes besides thatof climate contributeto pro-ducetheseresults,yetgenerally,bothincountriesandincities,the chances of longevity are greatly in favour of northern latitudes.

Of

theformer

we

findnearthe bottomof thescale, Java, as indi-cated

by

Batavia;

some

ofthe

West

IndiaIslands, Sicily, Naples,

&c.; andnear thetop,

Norway

and Sweden, andportionsofEngland.

Inallcases citiesare lesshealthythanruraldistricts.

Of

these the lowestis Vienna, andthe highest London.

From

these results it

appears that acool or coldchmate nearthe sea isthemost favour-able situation for health and longevity.

Among

the causes of mortalitynotdependentonclimate

may

benoted:

—

1. Povertyand

want

among

the lower classes of a

community

; 2. Close and

ill-ventilated lodgings,whetherin hospitals, prisons, orprivate dwel-lings; 3. Unhealthyor excessive labour, especially in youth; 4.

Intemperanceanddissolutehabits; and, 5. War.

The

proportion of deathsfrom consumptionin differentcountries indicates

how

little

mere

climate hastodo with the extent ofthis disease; since, while it is almost

unknown

in the

Madras

Presi-dencyof India,itis

more

frequentatthe

Cape

of

Good

Hope

than inthenorthern States ofAmerica, nearlyeven in Britain and in British

North

America, nearly the

same

atGibraltaras inthe

West

Indies generally,and

more

fatal

among

European

troopsinJamaica. Remittent fever shows an almost regularly progressive increase withthe increase oftemperaturefromthe

North

States ofAmerica to Jamaica, where the deaths

among

Europeans

amount

to 102, and

among

theblack troops, only 8 per 1000.

Of

diseases in the digestive organs, in theUnitedStatesthe

number

of cases is526, anddeaths 14 per 1000; whileinBritainthe cases are95per 1000, andthedeaths only 1in2000of the population.

Rheumatism

is most prominentinBritain, andleast in Malta. InAsia it isleast

among

Europeans in theTenasserimprovinces,

and

greatestintheMadras. i

The

influence of climateismostpowerfully evincedinthemental andphysicaldegradationproduced

by

malaria

on

the inhabitants of the

moor

and

marshy

districts of tropical regions; but, even in

Europe, itseffect onthe

amount

of mortalityis

much

greaterthan

is generallyunderstood.

Thus

in thesmiling plains of southern Italythe rate of mortalityis nearly twice asgreatasin the cold region of Scandinavia; andthis proportion appears tobe held in

allcountries.

Temperature alonehasa greateffectontheproduction of disease;

the Registrar-Generalcalculatesthatafallofthe

mean

temperature of theairfrom 45° to4or 5° _belowzero,destroysfrom 300to 500 of the population ofLondon.

In order tojudgeof theeffectsof the climate it isnecessaryto compare the

amount

of sickness and mortalitj?^

among

the indi-genouspopulation of a country withthat of strangers to the soil.

182

Misoellanea*

among

European

troopsis nearly three times as great as

among

natives; thatwhile seventy-five percent, of theEuropeantroops

diedattheGamola,the mortality

among

the black troops

was

little

more

than twopercent.; that the

number

of deaths fromcholera

inIndiaistwiceasgreat

among

Europeansas

among

natives; that

the native troopsin

Bombay

are as healthyas the British troops areinEngland. These comparisonswill be foundtobe confirmed inalltheothercolonies.

Perhaps the most striking result exhibited

by

the tables or diagrams isthe great

amount

of mortality

among

the military as

compared

with thenaval service, orwiththecivilpopulation of a country.

When

itis

remembered

thattheformerareselectedwith a special view tohealth, while thelatteraretakenpromiscuously,

an

opposite result might have been anticipated. In Britain the

number

of deaths

among

the troops, generally, is 15 per 1000. while

among

officers andthecivilpopulationitisonly 9 per 1000. InFrancethe returns of the

army

of theinterior

show

a mortality of 18perlOOO,while

among

theciviliansitis 10 per 1000; andthis is exceeded in all thecolonies. In the island of Barbadoes the mortality

among

civiliansisnot

more

than 14 per 1000,while

among

European

troopsitis58 per1000.

As compared

with the mortality in the

navy

the crews in the Mediterranean, South American, and

Home

Station areallgreatly

more

healthythanany

European

troops,theaveragemortalitybeing 9 per 1900. In the East Indian

command

the average is 15 per 1000, correspondingwiththatofthe troopsin Britain. In the

West

Indianand

North

American

command

itis 18 per1000, beingthe

same

as

among

the British troops at Malta, and in the

Cape

of

Good

Hope, and

West

Africa

command, where

the mortality

among

the troops is 450 per lOOO,or45percent.; in the

navy

it isonly 25 per 1000,or2| percent.

The

effectof the

means

adoptedforcheckingdiseaseinthe three great countries of England, France, andGermany, duringthe past century, are such, that while formerlyoneout of every 30 ofthe population diedeachyear,

now

theaverageisonein45

—

reducing

by

one-half the

number

of deathsinthesecountries. In theyear 1700 one out of every 25of thepopulation died in each year in England. In 1801 the proportion

was

onein 35, in1811 onein 38,

and

in1848onein 45, so thatthechancesoflifehavein

England

nearlydoubledwithin80years. In themiddleof lastcenturythe rate forParis

was

one in 25,

now

it is one in 32.

—

Proceed.Brit. Association,5thAugust 185C.

On

the

Rapid

Decrease

op

the

Native

Population

of Polynesia.

The

ferlilityofliyhrid races, originating in the intermixture of two races

whose

affinity ismostremote,isafactofwhichtherecan be no doubt whatever; andthere is strong reason to believe that

Miscellanea*

]

83

andthe aborigines of anycountryon the other, aregenerally des-tinedto

become

thedominantpopulation of those countries. For,

on

the one hand, these "halfcasts" very

commonly

combine the bestattributesofthetworacesfrom

whose

admixture theysprang

;

namely, the intelligenceand mentalactivityof theEuropean,and theclimaticadaptation of thenative,* and theyarealsoin general distinguished for their fertility,

when

pairedwith each other, so that they are rapidly rising into numerical importance.

On

the otherhand, thisveryintermixture, taking placeasitusually does between an

European

fatheranda native mother, tends todiminish the

number

of the native populationinavery remarkable

manner

;

forthere is

now

a large

amount

of evidence, that

when

a native femaleof the

American

orPolynesianraceshas once been impreg-nated

by

an

European

male, she thenceforth loses all

power

of conceptionfrom intercoursewith themaleofher

own

race. This

was

first pointedly stated by that very intelligent traveller, the

Count

deStrzelecki,

who

has lived

much among

different races of aborigines,the natives ofCanada,oftheUnitedStates, ofCalifornia, Mexico, theSouth

American

Kepublics, the Marquesas,

Sandwich

and

SocietyIslands,

New

Zealand,andAustralia,

and

who

affirms that in hundreds ofcases ofthis kind into

which

he hasenquired,

and

of

which

he preserves

memoranda,

there has not been a single exception._J

As

regards Australia and

New

Zealand, thisstatement, strange asitseems at firstsight, has beenfullyborneout

by

independent evidence;f anditofiersthemost completeexplanation yet given, of

the very rapid decrease in the native population of the various islands ofOceania, in

which European

races have been long estab-lished.

—

Dr. Carpenter.

^AUSTBALIAN BuLIMI.

Of

theBulimiofAustralialittle isatpresent

known.

One

species, B. atomatus, with a large dark-coloured inflated shell, has been collected at Port Macquarie; one smallspecies,

B.

trilineatus, at

Port

King

George; and two, B.KingiirniAivjlatus, of which the precise localityis

unknown.

Two

species with thinduskyshells, B.melo

and

Dufresnii,inhabiting

Van

Diemen's Land,constitutethe southernlimitofthegenusinthe eastern hemisphere.

—

Ann. and

Mag.

of Nat. Hist. April, 1851.

* This iswell seenin thecaseof the descendants ofthemutineers of the Bounty andof Tahitianwomen,who nowoccupyPitcairn'sIsland.

t [RemarkableasCountStrzelecki'sobservationsusually are for theirgreat accuracy,thelaw heresobroadlyenunciatedisnot withoutitsexceptions; for

thereisnowlivingattheTasmanianAborigines* establishment,atOyster Cove, anativeblack

woman

ofTasmania,who,whenyoung, bore black childrentoher nativehusband,

—

thenseveral"halfcasts,"ofwhom,twogrown-upwomenare nowalive; and,finally,twoorthree black children(oneof

whom

isnowa

fine boy about nine years old) by a black countryman, lo

whom

she was uniteduponbeingremoved fromherEuropeanprotector.

—

J. M.]

184

Miacellanea.

Thylacinus Cynocephalus. {Zoological Society,

May

14, 1850.]

The

Secretarystated, through the liberality of

Eonald

Gunn, Esq., and Dr. Grant, of Launceston, the Menagerie had been enriched

by

the safe arrivaloftwolivingspecimens of Thylacinus cynocephalus.

The

autlior states in the letter

which

accompanied thismostvaluableandinterestinggift, that

—

"

_An

_{observation of mine, contained in a}letterto Sir

W.

Hooker,

and which was

not

meant

forpublication, has beenmisunderstood,

and

hasledtothepropagationoferror—for

which

I

am

verysorry. Init I saidtheThylacine's tail

was

notcompressed

—

in reference to

an

observation of Mr. Swainson's in the '_{Encyclopaedia of}

Geo-graphy' (then recently published), that the tailof theThylacine

was

compressed, whichsuggested the supposition that it teas used in swimming,&c. It

was

tothelatterpart of thisobservationthat

my

remarks wereparticularlyapplied (videAnnalsofNat.Hist. vol.i.

p. 101-2), andI

meant

thatthetailwasnotcompressed tosuchan extentas tohavejustifiedthe inferencethatit

was

useful in

swim-ming

; andthus that theanimalobtained its food principallyfrom

thesea,whichtheparagraph inthe '_{Encyclopaedia of Geography'}

implied.

The

tail isobviouslyslightlycompressed, butnot,Ithink,

more

sothanthetailsof theDasyures, to

which

aquatic habits are not attributed. In writing hurriedly

—

and

not for publication

—

I

didnot expressmyself withtheprecision I oughttohave done. I mainlywishedtopointoutthatthetailwouldnot justifythe infer-ence ofMr. Swainson (whichI thoughtveryfar strained),thatthe animalwasaquaticinitshabitsandpiscivorous."

On

some Bones

and

Eggs

pound

at

Madagascar,

in

recent

Alluvia, belonging to a gigantic Bird.

By

M.

Isidore Geoffroy-Saini-Hilaire.*

lAnnals and

Magazine

of Natural History,

March

1851.]

We

received the day before yesterday from

M.

Malavois, a planter in the Island of Reunion,!

some

objects of such great interest, that

we

deem

ita duty tosubmit

them

immediatelytothe attentionofthe

Academy.

They

provethe existenceatMadagascar, geologicallyrecent, of a bird of gigantic size,

new

toscience, but with regardto

which

thereexisted, as willpresentlybeseen,

some

indications.

The

discovery of theseobjects

was

made,in 1850,

by

M.

Abadie, * TranslatedfromtheComptes RendusforJanuary27, 1851.

Miscellanea.

185

captain of a merchantman.

During

a stay at Madagascar,*

M.

Abadie one dayobserved,inthehandsofaMadagascan,a gigantic eg^,whichthenatives

had

perforatedatoneof itsextremities,and

which

theyemployedforvarious domestic purposes.

The

accounts

which M.

Abadie received from the Madagascans soon led to the discovery of asecond e:gg,of nearly the

same

size,

which

wasfound, perfectly entire, in thebedof a torrent, amongst the debris ofa land-slipwhich

had

taken place a short time previously.

Not

long afterwards

was

discovered, in alluviaof recent formation, a third egg,and

some

bones,

no

less gigantic,

which

wererightlyconsidered asfossil,or rather,accordingtoanexpression

now

generally adopted, assubfossil. All these objects were immediatelyforwarded, unfor-tunatelywithoutthe necessary precautions,from

Madagascar

tothe

He

de la Reunion, and thence to Paris: one of the eggs arrived broken into a multitude of fragments, butitcan berestored; the

twoothers arein aperfectstate ofpreservation.

The

objectswhich.Ihavethehonourtoplace before the

Academy

are thetwoentire eggs, a piece of theshellof thebrokenegg, and

some

osseousfragments,oneof

which

especially, as will beseen,is

of greatinterest to science.

The

two eggs

which

are

now

before the

Academy

differ little in

size, but

much

in form.

One

of

them

has the two ends very

unequallyconvex; the other representsalmostexactlyanellipsoid

ofrevolution.

The

following are the dimensions:

—

Ovoidalegg. Ellipsoidegg.

metre. metre.

Long

diameter 0'34f 0"32 Transverse diameter 0"225 0'23 Largecircumference 0*85 0*84

Smallcircumference

071

72

c.m.

Size „

0008887

The

thickness of the shellisabout3 millimetres.

We

shall give comparatively the principal measures, taken or calculated in the

same

manner, with the Ostrich and the other large birds of the

same

group,and withthe

Hen

:

—

Ostrich. Ehea. Casowary. Emu. Hen.

m. m. m. m. m.

Largecircumference 0-46 0-35 0-365 0-335 0-16 Smallcircumference 0-425

030

0-29 0-27 0.14

cm

cm. cm. cm. cm.

Size 0-001527 0-000735 0-000532

000526

0-000060

The

thickness ofthe shell, largerinproportion, isinthatof the Ostrich 2 millimetres. It is 1 millimetre withthe Casowary, and less withthe otherbirds.

Accordingtotheprecedingmeasures,itappearsthatthecapacity

*

On

thesouth-westcoastofthe island,accordingto M.Malavois. It will

be seen hereafter that another egg has been discovered at the north-west extremity ofthe island.

f In Englishmeasure theovoidal eggis about13^inches by 8|inches,

—

186

Miscellanea.

of theligg of the large bird of

Madagascar

is_{about 8f}litres*,and that, to represent its size, it wouldrequire nearly 6 eggs of the

Ostrich. 12 ofthe

American

Ostrich orKhea, 16J- ofthe Casowary,

17 ofthe

Emu,

and148 of the Hen.

We

may

add,contrastingwith each other the two extremes of the series, that this

same

bulk is

equalto that of.W,000eggsofthe

Humming

bird.

Aretheeggs which have just

come

tous from Madagascarthose of an

immense

reptile orof a gigantic bird? This

was

thefirst

question

which

suggesteditself ontheirdiscovery.

The

examinar tionof their shells,the structure of

which

is similar to that

which

isobservedinthose ofthe large birdswithrudimentarywings,

and

particularly ofthe

Emu,

would have sufficed forthesolutionofthis question; but it is given

much

more

directly and completely

by

the

bony

fragmentswhich have

come

withthe eggs.

One

of

them

isthelowerextremity of the large metatarsalboneofthe leftside: ithasthe three trochlearapophyses; two of

them

areeven almost

untouched. It is

enough

to cast a glance

upon

this eminently characteristic piece to recognize that itbelongstoabird.

More-over, on examining it with

some

attention,

we

soon arrive at the folloOTug conclusions.

The

great bird of

Madagascar

differs con-siderablyfromthe

Dodo

; itwantedthat greatly developedthumb,

by

Vv'hichthe large bird ofthe Mauritiusdifferedfromthe Struthio-nians and the Casowarians; this

we

are authorized to conclude

fromthe non-existence,atthebottomofthe largemetatarsalbone, ofthe indention

which

corresponds withtheinsertionof the

thumb

inthe

Dodo

and the otherbirds

whose

footpresents the

same

con-formation. In thispoint of view, the Madagascarbirdapproaches the Dinornis; butitdiffersfromit,aswellasfrom the otherallied generarecentlydiscoveredin

New

Zealand,intheverydilatedand depressedform of the lowerportion (and probably of the greater part) of themetatarsal bone.f

As

for the Ornithic/mites, on the onepart, andthe Ostrich and otheralliedgenera, no onewouldassuredlybe inducedtoassimilate

them

tothe giganticbird of Madagascar, whichhenceforth should

become

the type ofa

new

genus inthegroup of theRudipensor Brevipens. "We shall give to this genus the

name

of^pyornis,\ and toour species the epithet ofmaximus.

The

consideration of the other osseous fragments willconfirm,

we may

alreadyassert, the inductions to

which

we

havejustbeen led

by

the examination of the great metatarsal

—

the portion to

which

we

have first directed our attention, aseminently properto characterize not only the class and order, but even the genus to

which

the preciousfragmentstransmitted

by M.

Malavoisare tobe referred.

Such

a study will doubtless enable us to discuss (that

which

we

could not as yet do withadvantage) the value of the

affinities

which

connect the ^pi/orniswiththe variousgeneraofthe *

_A

liireis

=

61 028 English cubic inches H.E.S.

f Immediatelyabovethe trochlear apophyses,thisboneisnear1decimetre

across, anditsthickness scarcelyexceeds3centimetres.

A

decimetre higher

lip, wefind 0-07metre again forthe transversaldiameter, andonly 0"0375for

theantero-posteriordiameter.

Miscellanea*

]

87

same

group, and to determine with

some

accuracy the dimensions ofthisornithologicalgiant. Meanwhile,and withaviewtoanswer the questions Avhich have heen addressed to us fromallquarters,

we

shall restrict ourselves, on this last point, to

some

remarks, intended especially to prevent the exaggerations in

which some

might he apttoindulge.

The

long diameters, intheeggs of^pyornis andOstrich

which

we

have compared, are,in theonecase,32centimetres, and,inthe other, 16; they are therefore to one another as : : 2: 1.

With

respecttotheirhulk, it has been seen above that these eggs are nearly : : 6: 1. Are

we

to suppose that the two birds have the

same

proportionsas theireggs?

The

Ostrichbeing2 metreshigh, the height of the jEpyorniswould then reach

4

metres.

We

think that it would be erroneous to admit this proportion. If

we

pos-sessed no other elements of determination than the eggs of the JEpyornis,

we

shouldhavetorecollect that,evenamongstbirdsvery nearlyallied, thedimensions oftheeggsare farfrom beingexactly proportional tothe size of the species

which

produce

them

: the

estimate therefore

which

we

have mentionedwouldfor this reason alone be very doubtful.

But

w^ecan gostillfurther:

we

think that

even at present

we

are warranted in reducing this estimate.* Accordingto the comparison of the osseous parts, the

jEpyomis

must

be a less slender bird and M'ith legs proportionally shorter thanthe Ostrich. Possiblyitssizewas,withrelation to that of the latter bird,almostinthe proportion of 6to 1; butits

body was

not

supportedonlimbsquitedouble the height.

The

estimate of the stature of the jEpyornis, as founded on a comparison of that birdwithother Rudipens thantheOstrich,with the

Emu,

forexample, confirmsthisinference. Calculated accord-ingtothelongdiameters of theeggs, it would give, forthe

^py-ornis, nolonger4metres,but onlyabout3 8 metres, the

Emu

being

r50

metrehigh, anditsegg0-125metrelong.

From

the compari-sonof theterminal portion of the metatarsal inthe

Emu,

andthe corresponding part in the ^pyornis, the one measuring 5 centi-metres and the other 12 centimetres,

we

should deduce a result

which

agrees very well with the preceding: the height of the

^pyornis would beabout

36

metres.

We

thus arrive, in various ways, at this conclusion, that the statureofthe

^pyomis

wouldbecomprisedbetween3and 4metres, andconsequently greaterthanthat ofthe

Dinornu

giganteusitself;

sincethe statureattributed to this last

by

Prof.

Owenf

is a little

lessthan3 metres.

We

must remark,that the comparison of the extremity of the metatarsal of our jEpyornis withthe

same

partin the Dinornisgives, infact, a differenceof dimensionin favour of thefirst; butthisdifferenceis veryslight,and might be explained *

_Ard

it would even be reduced,byacomparison oftheeggs, made, not accordingtothelong diameters, butafterthe transverse, orfromthe

circum-ferences. Theegg ofthe JEpyornis isproportionallyalittlemoreelongated andlessarched thanthatofthe Ostrich.

f

On

Dinornis,inthe *'_{Transact, of theZool. Society of} Lonflon.'' The

lastof the platesofthisremarkablememoir(pi.30), Scaleofaltitude,gives the

Dinornisgiganteus a height of9J (eettEnglish), that is to say, 2'9 metres.

188

Miscellanea.

as well

by

the diversities of proportion as

by

an inequality of height.

Can

sogiganticaspecies,which haslivedwithout doubtintimes notfarremotefromourown,andof

which

itcannoteven beasserted that it has entirely disappeared from the surface of the globe,* have remainedso long, tothepresent day, withoutanything having revealeditsexistencetothenaturalists of

Europe

?

We

could not postpone, untiltheappearance of the

memoir which

we

intendto publishonthe JEpyornis, adverting to

some

indications relative to thisbird

which

sciencealreadypossesses.

Shall

we

place Flacourtamongstthe

number

of theauthors

who

have

known,

at least

by

hearsay, the gigantic bird ofMadagascar?

Is it the yEpyornis

which

thatcelebratedtravellermentioned, two centuries ago,underthe

name

ofVouron-Patra? "It is,"hesays,t "fl largebird

which

haunts the Ampatres, and lays eggs like

an

Ostrich; itisaspeciesofOstrich. Thoseofthe saidplaces arenot able to take it: itseeks the most desert places." It is hardly necessaryto add,that apassage sovague

may

quite as well, and better, applyto a bird of a high stature, but nevertheless lower thanthatof theOstrich, as toa speciessogiganticasthejEpi/ornis. If Flacourt did not

know

the jEpyornis, there is at all events another French traveller

who

unquestionably heard speak of it,

and

who

even

saw

one of its eggs,very similar to those

which

we

have described above. In one of the additions which Mr. Stricklandhasrecentlymade:]: to hisremarkable

work

ontheDodo.§

is found a documentformerly considered as fabulous, but

whose

scientific interest is

now

placed beyond a doubt.

Under

the title

"Supposedexistenceofa gigantic birdatMadagascar,"Mr, Strick-land has given a curious relation,

made

in 1848, by a

French

merchant,

M.

Dumarele, to

M.

JolifFe, Surgeon of theGeyser,and

which

the latterextractedfromhis privatejournal;

M. Dumarele

stated that at Port-Leven, on the north-west end of the Isle of Madagascar, hesawa gigantic egg, theshellofwhich wasasthick asaSpanishdollar,andwhich held "_thealmostincrediblequantity of thirteenwinequart bottles of fluid."

M. Dumarele

offered to purchasetheeggand send itto

Europe

; but the natives declined

sellingit,asitbelongedtotheir chief,and onaccount ofitsextreme rarity.

Thus

M.

Dumarele was

unable to produce anyproofin support ofhisstatement, and,without castinganysuspiciononhis veracity, it

was

thoughtthathemight have been imposed

upon by

thenatives.

According to thesenatives,

who

were of the race of Sakalavas, the gigantic birdof Madagascar still existed, but

was

extremely rare. In other parts of the island, on the contrary, itspresent existence i-s not credited; but at least a very ancient tradition is

met

with relative toabird, of colossalsize,

which

threw

down an

ox

and devouredit; itisto thisbird that the

Madagascans

attribute * The Notornis, at first known by subfossil debris, and regarded as an

extinct species, haslatelybeen foundalive in

New

Zealand. SeeAnn. Nat,

Hist, forNovember1850,p.398.

f Historede lagrandeHede Madagascar,edit, of1758,p.165.

i TheAnnals andMa<j.of Nat. Hist. No.23(November1849),p.

Miscellanea,

189

the giganticeggs

which

are occasionallyfoundin their island.

We

take thisstatementfrom aninterestingletter, in

which

M.

Leper-vanche Meziere, a well-informednaturalist ofthe Isleof Reunion, kindlyinformedthe

Museum

ofNatural Historyofthediscovery of the eggsofjEpijornis,immediatelyonitshavingbeen made.*

Itisscarcelynecessarytoadd, thatthe tradition

which

we

have just mentioned would attribute to theJEpi/oi-nis habits

which

are farfrom having belonged to it: it is a fable quite similar tothat

which exists in

New

Zealand on the subject of the

Moa,

and

which

has no

more

serious foundation.

The

^pyornis, like the Dinornis, was a Rudipen, and that species, of which popular beliefhas

made

a gigantic and terrible bird of prey, like tothe

Roc

or

Rue

of the Eastern tales,f had neither talons, nor wings adapted for flying, and must have fed peaceably on vegetable substances.

DEScRiprioNS OF soMR

NKW Gkneua

akd

Species of

Spatangid^

IN

THE

British

Museum.

By

J.E, Gray,Esq., F.R.S.,P.B.S., &c.

l^Ann. and

Mag.

of Nat. Hist, February 1851.]

The

following genera and species donotappeartobe included

in'

M.

Agassiz and Desor's "Catalogue Raisonne."

They

will be figuredintheCatalogueof theEchinidxin the British

Museum.

Spatangus Regince. Purple ? subcordate; back convex, larger

dorsal tubercles few

and

far apart, scattered, ambulacral petals broad.

Hah. Malta.

This species isverylike S. purpureus, but the back ishigher,

more

convex,andtherearenot half the

number

of dorsal tubercles found in that species. It

was

collected

by

Miss EmilieAttersoll, * Thisnewletterinformsus,positively, thatoneoftheeggsat leastcomes fromthesamebedas theosseous fragments.

f Thefablesrespectingthe Rocmaynot indeed be unconnected with these discoveriesofgigantic eggs, madenodoubtfromtimetotime inthe islandof Madagascar, and with the belief towhich they have given riseamong the

natives. Butitwouldbegoing toofartomakeofthe Hoc, with Mr. Strick-land,aMadagascan bird,whichwemightthen be inducedto refercompletely

to the j^pyornis. Mr. Strickland has misunderstoodMarco Polo, the only

authority

whom

he has here cited. Marco Polo, in his celebrated account (book iii. chap.40), speaks of the Rocimmediately afterhaving treated of Madagascar, but notasbelongingtothat island. Quitethe contrary,hemakes

it aninhabitantofquelques autres isles oultre MadagascarsurlacostsduMidi/,

French edit,of 1556,p.115); aliarum insularumultraMadaigascar (Latinedit,

of1671,p. 157).

[Ican onlysay that inMarsden'seditionofMarco Polo(4to.London,1818,

p.707), I read as follows:

—

"The

people of the island (viz. Madagascar)

reportthat at a certainseasonofthe year,an extraordinary kind ofbird,which theycall aruhh, makesitsappearancefromthe southern region;"&c. Polo

statesthatthe"othernumerousislands lying furthersouth" were unfrequented byships, andhisaccount ofthe Koc unquestionablyrefersto Madagascar

—

190

Miscellanea,

who

formed part of the suiteof

H.

M.

Queen

Adelaideduring her visitto Malta.

Eupatagus similis. Ovate, depressed, with only two or three rather larger tuberclesnear the peripetalousfasciole.

Hab. Australia,Flinder's Island.

This speciesdiflFersfrom E.Valenciennesiiof Agassiz,t. 15.f.3,in not having nearlyso

many

tubercles ontheback. Several

speci-mens

ofitweresenttothe

Museum

by

JosephMilligan,Esq. Lovenia elongata. Spatangus elongatus, Gray, in Eyre's Discov. Central Australia, i. 436, t.6. f. 2. Ovate, rather elongate, de-pressed; back with

many

sunkentuberclesonthesides.

Hab.

PortEssington, Mr.Jukes.

Lovenia subcarinata. Shell elongate, narrow, the loweranterior edgekeeled,thelower part of theuppersidewithsixoreight large tubercles placedintwoseriesoneachside attheendof the anterior lateralambulacra.

Hab. Philippines,Isle ofLuzon,

H. Cuming,

Esq.

EcHiNOCARDiUM.

This geuus

may

be dividedintothe following sections:

—

* Anterior odd amhulacral groove deep, hinder endperpendicular,

loxverpart blunt.

Echinocardiumcordatum, &c.

To

thissection alsobelong

—

Eckinocardium australe.

Very

like E. cordatum, but thehinder endis erectandthelower edgeratheracute.

Hah. Australia,PortJackson,J. B. Jukes, Esq.;

Van

Diemen's

Land, Ronald Gunn,Esq.,andDr.A. Sinclair.

Echinocardium zealandicum.

Very

like the former, butplastron lanceolateelongate, andthebody

more

ovaleandelongate.

Hab.

New

Zealand, Dr.

Andrew

Sinclair: several specimens.

**Anterioroddambulacral groove shallow, lower part of hinderend produced,acute. E.gibbosum.

BreyniaAustralasice. SpatangusAustralasice,Leach,Zool. Misc.ii. t. 82., 1825. S. Crux Andrew,

Lamk.

Hist.; Agassiz, Ann. Sci.

Nat.vi.t. 16.f 14. Large tubercles

on

sidesoflateralambulacra few,internal fasciole short,broad.

Hab.

PortJackson.

Dr. Leach'sspecimen exactly agreeswith

M.

Agassiz'figure. Breynia Desorii.

Sunken

tubercles on the lateralandposterior interambulacral area

numerous

(aboutthirty), the internalfasciole elongate,narrow.

Hah.

Swan

River.

Several specimens, alldifferingintheabove charactersfromthe former.

Meoma.

Shellsubcordate,vertex subcentral; ambulacrasunken,

lateralpairsequal,oddanterioroneentirely obliterated,

marked

by a shallow groove,surrounded

by

a very sinuous peripetalousfasciole, without anylateral fasciole ; subanal fasciole incomplete, edging

theundersideof theindistinctsubanaldisk,andonlyextending

up

tothe leveloftheloweredge of theventand withthesubanalpores inthefasciole.

Miscellanea,

191

Faorina inwanting the lateral fascicle. Dorsal tuberclessmall, equal.

Meoma

grandis. Subcordate, rather convex.

Hab. Australia, Capt.Sir

Edward

Belcher, K.C.B., R.N.

Faorina. Shell ovate, subcordate, ventricose; vertex central,

hinderendtruncated,withoutanydistinct subanal disk; ambulacra

sunken,thelateralones regularly diverging, anterior longest, ante-riorodd one obliterated,

marked by

adeepgroove, all surrounded

by

a rather sinuous peripetalous fascicle without any lateral or subanalfascioleoranalplate; ovarialpores two,three, or foin*.

Faorinachinensis. Purple,witha

smooth

band

betweentheupper anterior tesseree, and a

smooth

vertical

band

over the suture from the endof the anteriorlateralambulacratothe frontof the mouth.

Hab.

China,J.R. Reeve, Esq.

Faorina antarctica. Subcordate, rather depressed; lateral

ambu-lacra ovate, longitudinal,verydeep, forminga verydistinct rib

on

the innersideof theshell; peripetalousfasciolebroad, sinuous.

Hab.

SouthPolarSeas,Capt.Sir

James

Ross's expedition. Thisspecies differsfromFaorinacavernosa(Erichson, Arch.184,'?, t. 11.f. 2) inthe ambulacra being lessbroad, and in the fasciole being

much

broaderand

more

distinct.

TripylusPhilippii. Cordate, rather depressed;lateral ambulacra

oblong, linear, the hinder pair not half the length of the anterior one,thesidesof thehinderpartofthe peripetalousfasciole parallel.

Hab.

.

The

genus Tripylusof PhilippidiffersfromDesoriaand ScMzaster in the regular cordate form and central vertex, and differs from Brissiopsis,with

which

M.

Agassizconfoundedit,inthe absenceof thesubanalfasciole.

Desoeia. Shell ovate, convex, vertex subanterior; ambulacra

narrow, sunken,like Brissus,theanteriorodd one formedofaseries of small doublepores, allsurroundedbyaverysinuous peripetalous

fasciole giving off a lateral fasciole,

which

extends to the vent withoutanydistinctsubanalfascioleorsubanaldisk.

Very

like Brissus,but distinguished

by

the presence of thelateral fascioleandtheabsenceof the subanalone anddisk.

JDesoria Australis. Ovate, purplish white.

Var.1. Brown, eachof thetesseraewith abroadpale edge. Hab. Austraha,Fhnder's Island,JosephMilligan, Esq. Several specimens.

Schizaster ventricosus.

Very

like S. canaliferus, but thehinder part of the

body

isvery high, the hinderend nearlyvertical,

ven-trijpose, and regularly rounded above the vent, the hinder part of the peripetalous fasciole straight between the two lateral

am-bulacra.

Hab. Australia? ?

Schizaster Jukesii. Like former, but vertex nearly central ;

crown

stronglykeeledbetween thetwohinderambulacra; thepart of the peripetalous fasciole between the anterior and posterior ambulacraregularlybent

up

nearlyto the vertex, the hinder end vertical,regularlyrounded above the vent.

1

92

Miscellanea.

Kleinia. Shell ovate, elongate, ventricose, subcordate, vertex subcentral; centre ofback withrather larger perforatedtubercles

;

lateralambulacrasunken, ovate, linear, confluentnearthe vertex,

where

the inner series of twin pores are nearlyobliterated, the anterior pair diverging, thehinder pairnearlyparallel, diverging atthe end, theanteriorodd one ina ratherdeep groovewith only rudimentarypores; allsurrounded

by

a broad, rather sinuous

peri-petalousfascicle; subanal fasciole surrounding theoblong subanal

plate,whichiscoveredwithradiatingseriesoftubercles,

and

trans-versely dividedinhalf

by

a subcentralfasciole; ovarialporesfour,

hinderlargest;

mouth

anterior,vent in theupperpart of thehigh

hinderextremity covered with small irregularplates; spines ofthe

crown

elongatesubulate, of the plastronandsubanalplatelonger, stronger,ratherdilated attheend.

This genus differsfromBrissus in the peculiarformof the

ambu-lacra,andinthe largersizeofthe dorsal spinesandtubercles, and fromPlagionotusinthefoi

m

ofthesubanalplateandambulacra.

Kleinia Luzonica. Shellovate,ventricose; ambulacraconfluent

near thevertex, inner series of pores nearly obliterated; lateral ambulacraovate, petaloid, thehinder pair shorter, nearlyparallel, anteriorpairdivergent; vent in theupperpart of thehigh hinder extremity.

Hab.

Philippines,IsleofLuzon.

Agassizia subroiunda. Ovate, subglobose,regular, even,without anytuberclesonthe sideorroundthevent,theoddanteriorgroove withtwolinesofminutetubercles.

Hab.

Australia,Capt.Sir

Edward

Belcher.

Leskia. Shell ovate, subglobose, thin, vertex central; lateral

ambulacrabroad, petaloid, rather sunken and separatefrom each other,the hinder lateral pair rather theshortest, the oddanterior ambulacraina ratherbroadsunken groove,rudimentary,withonly asingle series of pores

on

each side; all surrounded

by

a broad

rather sinuous peripetalous fasciole; lateral and subanal fasciole

none;

mouth

anterior, round, on a level with the rounded under surface,andcoveredwithfivetriangularconvergingvalves; plastron

and

subanalplatenotdistinctlydefined; anus round, inthe upper

part of theroundedposterior end, and covered withfivetriangular converging valves forming a cone, with

some

small spiculainthe centre; ovarian pores two, very large; spines and tubercles

sub-equal, subulate,those of theback beingrather thelargest.

This genus agreeswith Brissus in the form ofthe peripetalous

fasciole,butdiffersfromitandalltheotherSpatangidminthe form of the

mouth

andvent.

Miscellanea,

193

A

Note

on

the

Bokhara

Clover.

By

William

Taylor,Esq., F.L.S.

[Proc.Lin.Society,November 1840.]

Mr. Taylor

obtained

from

Mr.

Loudon

a small parcel of the

Bokhara

Clover (Melilotusarhorea),

which

was sown

earlyinApril, 1839.

The

plantprovedtobebiennial,

and

stoodthe winter well.

On

the28thof Aprilfollowing,a part of the crop

was

cutdown,the stemsmeasuring 15 inchesinheight; and onthe28thof

May,

from

the

same

piece of ground, a second crop

was

obtained,

which had

reachedthe height of 16 inches; a third on the 28th ofJune, 17

inches; a fourth in July, 16 inches; a fifthin August, 15 inches;

and

a sixthinSeptember, measuring14 inches, Accordingto

Mr.

Taylor's calculation,the

Bokhara

Clover wouldyieldfrom 20to30 tonsofgreen herbageperacre,

and

from 2to3 tons of strongfibre,

which

appears capable ofbeing manufacturedintocordage.

The

flowers arewhite and very fragrant, andthe plant does not appearto differ specificallyfrom the Melilotus leucantha, although regarded

by

De

Candolle asadistinct species.

On new

species of

Mammalia

and Birds from

Australia.

By

J.

Gould,

F.R.S.,

F

Z.S., etc.

{^Proc. Zool. Soc. Land., November 1849.]

The

Proceedings of the Zoological Society having been the

means by which

the

many

interesting novelties inNatural History obtainedduringthe surveying voyagesof CaptainsKing, Beechey, Belcher, Fitzroy, Blackwood, &c.,

by

the naturalists attached to theirseveralships,have been

made

known

tothescientificworld,a

more

appropriatechannelcannot, I presume, be selectedfor com-municatingthe interestingresults,so far asknown,oftheexpedition

now

exploring thecoasts of Northern andEastern Australia,under the

command

ofCapt.

Owen

Stanley;

and

Ithereforehastento

lay-before the Societysuchnovelties ashave been received inthe two branches of natural history to

which

I have devotedmyself, viz..

Mammalia

and

Birds.

The

collection recently sent

home

by

Capt. Stanley

and

Mr. MacGillivray, the able naturalist of

H.M.S.

"_{Rattlesnake,"} is a veryfine one: it has been procured

on what

may

be considered

hithertountroddenground;Icannotthereforedobetterthangivea

listof the whole,

—

suchlists,showingthe geographicaldistribution ofspecies, beingin thehighest degreevaluable. I havesaid that thecollectionisaveryfineone, andI

must

notomitobserving that

much

credit isduetoCapt. Stanleyforaffording thenaturalist the requisite opportunities forobtaining so

many

interesting species ;

norisalesser

meed

of praiseduetoMr.MacGillivray,forthevery excellent

manner

in which the specimens are prepared, and the

1

94

Miscellanea.

accuracywith

which

allthe informationconnected with

them

that could he obtained has been noted down.

The

collection of

Quad-rupeds andBirds onlyhas beenplacedin

my

handsforexamination, withaviewto

my

publishing such novelties as it

may

contain in

my

works onthese subjects; after

which

thespecimens are to be senttothe British

Museum.

The

periodthathas elapsedsincethe arrival of the collection has been far too short to admit of

my

investigating the subjectas Icouldwash; Ishall therefore, on the

present occasion, exhibit

some

of the species that appear to

me

to be new, anddefer

my

remarks

upon

theentire collection tothenext or

some

futuremeetingof theSociety.

I shall

now

proceedtodescribetwospecies of

mammalia and two

species of birdsfromthis collection, asfollows:

—

Pteropus

conspicillatus, Gould.

Sp. C/i.—

Crown

of the

head

black, slightly grizzledwithbuff; round each eye a large oval patch of deep brownishbuff,

which

advances onthesides of thefaceand shows veryconspicuously; at

the napeabroadcrescent-shaped

band

of deep sandybuff,

which

extends

down

thesides oftheneck andnearlymeetsonthe breast; centre of thebackglossy black,slightly grizzledwith grey;cheeks,

chin, all theundersurfaceand rump, black,slightly grizzledwith buff; earsand

wing-membranes naked

andofadeeppurplish blackj

claws black.

Hab. FitzroyIsland.

Thisspeciesisabout the sizeof Pteropuspoliocephalus, buthas a

somewhat

larger

head

and

much

larger and

more

powerfulteeth, andismoreover rendered conspicuouslydifferent fromthat species

by

thenuchal

band

beingof adeepsandybuff instead of deep-rust red,andnot continuousroundtheneck; bythe

crown

of thehead

and back beingalmost jet-black; andthe eyes beingconspicuously

encircledwdthdeepbuff(whencethespecific

name)

; in

which

latter

character it assimilates to P.funerexis, but scarcelyto anyother. RespectingthisspeciesMr. MacGillivraywrites: " Is thisnot

new

toAustralia? It isnotfunereus, ofwhichseeskull No.7and skin

No.

S, noris itpoliocephalus.

Of

itshabitsIextractthe following

notefrom

my

journal:

^On

the

wooden

slope of ahillonFitzroy Island Ionedayfellinwiththisbatinprodigiousnumbers, looking whileflyingalong the brightsunshine (sounusual for a nocturnal animal) like a large flockof rooks: on close approacha strong

musky

odour

became

apparent,anda loud incessant chattering

was

heard;

many

ofthebranches were bending undertheirload ofbats,

some

inastateof inactivitysuspended bytheir hindclaws, others scrambling along

among

theboughs andtakingto

wing

when

dis-turbed. Inavery short time I procured as

many

specimens as I

wished, threeandfour atashot, forthey

hung

in clusters,but unless killed outright they remained suspended for

some

time:

when

wounded

they are handled with ditflculty, as they bite severely, and on suchoccasions their cryreminds oneof the squalling ofa

child.' "

Phalangista

(Pseudocheirus) NUDicAUDATA, Gould.

Sp. Ch.

—

Head,alltheuppersurface,thesidesof the body, and the outer sides of the limbs, brownish gray; thetips of the hairs

Miscellanea.

195

the innersidesof the limbs palebuff; thecolouring of theupper and undersurfacedistinctlydefined on the sidesof the body, but graduallyblending onthelimbs,the

rump

androotofthetail,

which

isthickly clothedonitsbasalthirdand

naked

fortheremainder of

its length; hands, feet, and naked portion of thetailpinky

flesh-colour.

inches.

Length

fromtipofnosetorootoftail 12

oftail 8

offore-feet,including thenails 3

' of

hind-feet,including thenails 3^

Hab.

Cape

York,the most northernpoint ofAustralia.

Thisspecies differsfromallthe otherAustralian

members

of the genus,inhavingthe apical three-fourths ofits tailentirely destitute ofhair; inthe light-coloured

mark

ontherump,

somewhat

resem-blingthat on the

same

part of the Koalaj andinitsshortdense

furandshortears.

The

above description and admeasurements are taken from a femalesaid tobe abouttwo-thirdsgrown.

The

earsare exceedingly shortandrounded,andthefurisremarkableforitsextremedensity

and

foritsresemblancetothat of theKoala.

PtilorisVictoria, Gould. (Aves,PI.XII).

Sp. Ch.

—

Male

: general

plumage

richdeepvelvety black, glossed

on

theuppersurface, sidesof the neck, chinandbreastwith plum-colour; feathers of the

head

andthroatsmall, scale-like, and of a

shining,metallicbronzy green; feathers ofthe

abdomen

very

much

developed, of the

same

hueastheuppersurface, buteachfeather so broadlymargined withrich deep olive-green,thatthe colouring of the basal portion of the featheris hidden, and the olive-green formsabroadabdominal band,whichissharply defined above, but irregularbelow;twocentretail-feathersrichshiningmetallicgreen,

theremainder deepblack; billandfeetblack.

Female

: allthe uppersurface grayishbrown, tinged witholive;

head andsidesoftheneck dark brown,striatedwithgrayish

brown

;

over each eye a superciliary stripe of buff; wing-feathers edged withferruginous;chinandthroat palebuff;remainderoftheunder

surface,underwing-coverts, andthebase of the inner

webs

of the quillsrichdeepreadishbuff, eachfeatherwithanirregularspot of

brown

near thetip, dilatedontheflanks into theformofirregular bars; bill andfeetblack.

Total length, lOJ inches; bill. If; wing, 5; tail,_3^; tarsi, \\.

Hah. Barnard'sIsles.

Remark.

—

This

new

species

must

be placed in the first rankof the

many

beautiful birdsinhabiting Australia: indeed, there are

few fromanypart of theworldthatcan viewithit inthe richness of itscolouring; and I cannot possibly haveabetteropportunity

than

now

presentsitselfof payinga just tribute of respect to our mostgraciousQueen,

by

bestowing

upon

this lovely denizen of the AustralianforeststhespecificappellationofVictoricB;

—

1 say of the

Australian forests, for although the specimen from which

my

descriptionistaken is from the Barnard Isles, within the Barrier Reef,andonly a few milesfromthe north-eastern shoreof Australia,